
Originally Posted by
bradrobster
Day 7 – Monday, June 20, 2022
Normal start to the day, we did breakfast in while I ran down and got the Palapa. Got our 2nd choice with no line at 7:45am. Owner’s meeting in Champions at 9:30am-10:30am. I must say, I really like this much better. It allows you to go ahead and get your stuff ready to go so that once you attend the meeting you walk out and enjoy the rest of your day. The old afternoon time just chopped up your day and often conflicted with people getting ready for dinner. I think this is better, some may not.
Deb was already out at the Palapa. We had a little better beach access & view today. The side of the beach on the Surf Club side seems to be a bit less seaweed in the water (on the bottom). It doesn’t bother me so much; Deb prefers the sandy part.
For lunch, we walked down to Moomba. Lunch menu was about as we remembered. Deb got her seafood salad (grilled grouper, a few pieces of fried calamari, shrimp and crab. She loves it. I got (of course) the grouper sandwich on whole wheat roll. Again, I have had the fish in some version every day since coming. This was was also very good. A couple of drinks and we were out for about $50.
Back for an afternoon of soaking, napping, a few beers from our cooler backpack and relaxing time. After about 3pm, we moved to the ‘Quiet Pool” area. This is a favorite area of ours. Deb loves to read, and I just sit in the water at the edge. That is what most people do. Then, there are the “others”. People that either don’t read the sign, don’t know or mostly, don’ care. Today when I got there, there were two kids, very small, about 4-6 years old. Luckily, they were good swimmers. Parents no where in sight. Very loud but the worst part was they were messing over in the corner where there is a small opening where the water falls to the other side into the bigger pool. They were sticking their heads in there. It got a bit uncomfortable. I kept my eye on them and luckily, they moved along after about 10 min. The other was a family group that came and hung out for 30 min or so and a lady that decided to do laps in the pool..lol I am about as tolerant as anyone and I don’t confront people. There were so many other open spaces on the other much larger main pool area. These resorts create different areas to accommodate a variety of the needs of their guests. Deb and I would’t go plop down in the baby pool area and take up space for families and kids..lol
Grabbed showers and watched the sunset to mostly finish prior to leaving around 7 for a reservation at Quinta Del Carmen. We popped into Superfood on the way to grab some wine and a couple other things and then Quinta is just right down the road.
In coming to Aruba for 21 years, we have never eaten here. We knew of it, read about it, saw reviews but for whatever reason, it’s never been on our list. After looking at the menu again, we decided to try it. We are trying to visit a few different places this time to broaden our options in the future. Quinta did not disappoint. Deb started with a glass of Merlot. I chose the Diplomatica Old Fashioned. It was one of the best old fashioned that I have ever had. They are a bit sweet, and I was the driver, so 1 was the limit for me.
We went with the Beef Carpaccio; they split it and gave us our own plates. It was so good, with pine nuts and parmesan and sauce drizzled on it. Small salad and parm crisps on the side, really good.
For Dinner, I got the stuffed Lobster shell. It had lobster meat and shrimp in a creamy sauce filling the lobster shell and served it over good, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. Pricy at $49, but it was tasty, we don’t order lobster much, so this was a treat!
Deb got the Seafood Paella. Spanish rice with mussels, shrimp and clams. She loved it. While we were stuffed, we splurged and got the Mocha Crème Brule. Deb also got the Kiss of Fire Coffee with Grand Marnier and Kahula. They have such a beautiful house and grounds, it’s a great experience. They also have a new Tapas Garden and Tapas menu if you want to go that route. We will be back.
Time is passing too quickly now....{{sigh}}